Death Alone Cannot Part Us
by Elfea goddess of the Sunset
Summary: Tk is in a coma from a terrible accident in the Digital World. All the Digidestined are in the hospital ward, tense and afraid. Will Tk survive? Please R/R!
1. Death

Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
My sad, sad Takari fic....  
  
Part one: Death  
  
PG  
  
No POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and... that other place who's name escapes me... for the moment.  
  
***  
  
The soft, repetitive beep of the life support unit in room 83 of the intensive care wing in Odaiba hospital announced that a certain Takeru Takashi's status was critical, but stable. For now.  
  
Around the dark, almost silent room, many figures stood and sat, staring, bleary - eyed and tearful, at the still figure of Tk.  
  
Two figures stood out in particular stood out from the rest, one was a 13 yr - old girl named Hikari Kamiya, and the second was a 16 yr - old rock star named Yamato Ishida.  
  
Kari took Tk's limp hand and stared at his still face. She fought back tears. " Tk.." She whispered. It had been three weeks now. 3 weeks of waiting, hoping to see his blue eyes open, to hear his voice, to see his smile. 3 weeks to wait, fearfully, never knowing if he would ever awaken from the coma that held him in a deathly embrace. Kari sighed, released Tk's hand and walked over to her older brother, Tai. Tai hugged his little sister silently. He, too, cried, sad and scared, for his friend's fate.  
  
Matt finally gave up the constant battle that had been raging inside him, and let out a sob. He fought back the tears, and walked to his brother's bedside. He hadn't spent enough time with him. He'd spent all these years ignoring him, thinking of him as his brother, an annoyance. He started to cry openly. All that time wasted! And he may never speak to his little brother again.  
  
"Don't cry Matt, it's just..." Just what? Tai asked himself. Matt was his best friend, and Tai knew, despite the cool exterior that Matt tried so hard to maintain, how deeply he cared for his little brother. He tried to imagine if it had been Kari lying limp in a hospital bed these past weeks. He couldn't. It was just too horrible. He hugged his little sister closer.  
  
The other figures in the room were also waiting anxiously, blaming themselves for Tk's misfortune, and mentally slapping themselves for their' inability to help the keeper of the crest of hope, Tk.  
  
In his own head, Tk was dreaming. Unlike the irrational dreams of healthy sleep, these dreams were startlingly real. Two kept playing in his head. The first was Tk's favorite. He and Kari...Kari. One of the best friends he'd ever had, although he knew their' friendship went much deeper than that... He and Kari were walking through a field of beautiful flowers in digiworld. In the distance, 10 kids, some older, some younger, were paying soccer. Tk smiled as he remembered them. One was his older brother, Matt. He was defense. Yeah, Matt would always be there for him to rely on, a friend as well as a brother... Another was Davis, a boy his age that appeared to love soccer more than anything... he was attack. Sure, Davis and he might fight sometimes, but it usually turned out for the best... Yet another was Tai, Matt's best friend and Kari's older brother. Tai was also defense. Tai would protect him.. Yolei was goalie. The last line of defense, always there... Cody.. his  
position wasn't usually in soccer... he was the one who thought things through, who made sure the field was stable, yep, that's Cody... Izzy, the computer whiz, tactical genius, who always knew what to do, always had an answer. Good old Izzy! Sora, attack position, but gentle and loving. He liked Sora. She looked out for him. Joe, cautious, but reliable. Yeah, Tk knew he could count on Joe. Mimi was on the sideline. "You can do it!" she called, encouraging. Mimi.. so sincere.. Always there for anyone. The last was Ken. Tk didn't know Ken very well. But what he did know was that he was kind.. Yeah.. Kind... Then, there were more people... His mother... Father.. Friends he'd known throughout his life... The images began to get hazy, and started to blend into a big spiral, spinning, faster, faster... Then, the spiral exploded into a different dream...  
  
He was falling... falling... Kari tried to catch him, but she couldn't. " Kari!" He yelled, then, Matt tried to catch him. "I've got ya, little bro." He smiled, like he used to when Tk was little. But then he slipped. "No!" He cried. The others tried, too; Tai, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Sora, Izzy, Joe, Mimi, Ken... "You have to try together!" He called to them.  
  
"They can't hear you." The snarling voice of the evil digimon said. Then... indescribable pain! The evil phantom digimon reached inside Tk's chest and squeezed his heart. " Arrghhh!" Tk cried in absolute agony. The dream ended. But, unlike most dreams, the pain had been real.  
  
Tk found himself in a room, floating over a bed. A boy was lying in the bed. The boy was dying. He looked closer. It was.. was.. Him? Tk floated lower, confused. There were people around the bed. Kari! His Kari. How he loved her. "Hey, Kari, Don't cry, it's me!" He said. But she just clutched his hand tighter and cried loudly. " Tk... don't.. Leave me!" She sobbed. Matt was there. He was crying, too. "Don't give up little bro.. We ...I.. I need you. Please don't die." Die? Him? Now it was Tai. He, too, was crying. So many tears... why? " Hang in there, Tk." The others were all there, each crying, each talking to the boy in the bed. A doctor rushed in as the frantic beeping of the heart monitor slowed, then became one long, consistent beep. Matt gasped and looked at the doctor, his eyes wide and full of tears. The doctor shook his head sadly. Matt's face drained of all colour. Even his eyes dulled as reality took him. He started to tremble. Kari yelled, "No!" And flung her  
head onto Tk's chest, which was still now. Tk tried to tell them that it was all ok, that he was fine. But he was floating, up, up. And, far away, in an apartment building in Kawada, a digivice and the crest of hope dulled then disappeared as the soul of a digidestened was released, and flying free...  
  
The end.. Or is it?  
  
So, what do you think? I have written the next... ooh... say....5 parts.... But I won't release them unless I know that this one was appreciated. Okaies? Please review! 


	2. Despair

1 Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
Part two: Despair  
  
PG  
  
Matt's POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and… that other place who's name escapes me… for the moment.  
  
***  
  
No. It couldn't be. Not Tk… No! But there was his body, pale and cold, still of all life, motionless, forever…  
  
I felt the tears well up in my eyes and roll down my cheeks. There had to be – must be – some mistake.  
  
But no – this hospital, this hospital was amongst the finest in the world. And then.. and then there was Tk. He hadn't moved in weeks, and now he hadn't drawn a breath for more than an hour. Yet I still refused to accept the truth. I always had been stubborn, but this time was different. I knew I was wrong, Tk was.. no.. not that word.. I was wrong, I knew the truth, I just wouldn't… couldn't .. Accept it.  
  
I looked down at my little brother. So still, so… calm, carefree. Dea – no! If I accept it.. say, even think that word… The tears kept coming, and I was finding it hard to breathe. But, this time, I did nothing to stem the tears, to suppress the sobs. It was all my fault. I was his big brother. I was meant to protect him. I was older, stronger. It should have been me, not him. Tk… Tk didn't deserve this. He'd never done anything wrong. He wasn't even 14. And would never be. "Matt.." Tai said, trying to comfort me, but his voice, too, was strangled, choked with tears. I turned away from the others, and stared out the window, looking to the sky. Tk had loved the sky. The tears started again. I looked away from the window, away from the sky. Then I remembered. "Who – who's going to tell Patamon?" I choked, barely able to speak for my sadness. But, once again, I didn't care about my image. Everyone looked at Tk. Then the door opened. I recognized the silhouette of my father. I looked away. I knew how he would look. Pale, wide – eyed and shaking. I knew, because that was how I looked. Then Tk's mum came in. She looked so scared. A doctor came in with them, and I felt like I should know him. I probably did. I didn't care. "Why – why isn't the heart monitor on, doctor?" My father asked, though he had probably already realized the horrible truth. "Oh, no… god, please no.." He whispered, his strong voice breaking, trembling. Tk's mum was strangely silent. And, I noticed, terribly pale. Then, she fainted. My father caught her, and I walked over and helped him move her to a chair. It was then that I noticed her finger. On it was a ring. Golden, with diamonds intricately interwoven into the band. An engagement ring! Tk would have been so happy. We would have been a family again. I started to cry again. My father put a reassuring arm over my shoulders, which were shaking. I shrugged off the arm. I didn't deserve comfort. It was all my fault. All my fault. I looked at the floor. "Matt.." It was my father. "No-one blames you." Wrong. He was wrong. Someone blamed me. I did. "Tk wouldn't want you to blame yourself." Tai said. "How would you know?!" I yelled, directing all the anger I had for myself at Tai. "You have a perfect family. You live with your mum and dad and Kari. You don't even know what pain is!" Tai looked shocked. Then hurt. And sad. "I'm sorry, Matt. There was nothing I could do. And you're right. Nothing really bad has ever happened to me." Suddenly I felt guilty. Tai had only been trying to help, and I'd exploded at him. "I'm sorry, Tai. It's not your fault. It's just.." I gestured helplessly towards Tk's bed. "What do I do? What do I do without Tk?"  
  
*  
  
As Tk's spirit floated above the room he felt guilt. This person.. Matt? Memories were so hard to grasp now… He'd caused him, and others, so much pain. His spirit wavered over the hospital. Then a wind came, and he was gone.  
  
The end..? 


	3. Memories

1 Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
2 Part three: Memories ( Prologue)  
  
PG  
  
3 Kari's POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and… that other place who's name escapes me… for the moment. I do, however, own Hademon.  
  
***  
  
I stood there, motionless as the coldness of icy reality struck me. I tried to fight back the tears, but what was the use? "No!" I cried, flinging myself to Tk. I should have told him. Should have, should have, should have. Of course, Tk had known how I felt, because… because… because he.. he loved me, too. I closed my eyes as I felt Tai's hand on my shoulder, trying to be reassuring, but failing, as his hand was shaking.  
  
I shrugged off the hand. I didn't want reassurance. Of course, it was my fault. I knew it was, I was there, that fatal moment, three weeks ago…  
  
We were in Digiworld, Tk, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Tai, Sora, Matt and I. The original reason that we had been here was that the others had all gone through before us, and we were to meet at Gennai's house. Something about… about… about, I can't remember. Anyway, it was all fine until two huge evil Digimon attacked. The first was Hademon*, a huge, black shadow of mist that could form ghastly shapes to attack his opponents with. Our brave digimon, Magnadramon, Seraphymon, Wargreymon, Metalgarurumon, Garudamon, Exveemon and Ankelomon attacked Hademon, but all were defeated and reduced to their' in – training forms by just a single glance from the dark digimon. Then, another colossal digimon appeared. I don't know his name, and I don't want to. He said something to Hademon in a language that made no sense to any of us, and after that one order, Hademon gathered up all of us, save Tk and myself, and vanished.  
  
I don't know about Tk, but by now, I was mortified. If it had been just me there, I'm sure I would have fainted. "Hey, you!" Tk yelled at the huge black phantom. "What did you do with our friends?!" "Friends? You need not concern yourself. They are disposed of." "Disposed of? You monster!!!!" With that, Tk grabbed the largest rock he could find and flung it at the phantom. It passed right through. "Come now, boy, Surely you know you cannot possibly try to attack me. Besides," He shook his head dismissively. "It's the girl I want. I have no need of you. The only reason you're even still here is because of some damned prophecy that reads ' light and hope be separated in death alone, and no other force may take them apart.' Which is why," He added, "I've decided to kill the child of light. I really have no need of you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" The evil digimon stared at me, and I slowly felt myself loosing control of my body. My joints grew stiff, and my mind raced with fear as I realized I was completely paralyzed, standing, but unable to move. "What have you done to her?! Undo it now!" Tk raged. "Oh, but I've only just started. Sleep of Death!" He yelled, launching his attack at me. At the last moment, Tk jumped in front of me, shielding me, taking the blow himself. The phantom digimon laughed. "Stupid boy. Well, one digidestined is as good as another." He said and turned, disappearing. As Tk fell, I regained control of my body and caught him, and, as he lay there, in tremendous pain, he looked up at me, smiled, and fell into the coma that would claim his life. The sleep of death.  
  
I can't remember the rest, but I'm sure that's all that matters. Then I realized, the phantom had meant the blow for me, and it had been black and dark, the opposite of light. I recalled an ancient saying, 'Without life, there is no hope.' Could it be possible that over the millennia the second word had been distorted? Could that word have been light? But what did it matter? He was dead…  
  
Tk's spirit floated again, thinking, remembering. He mustered all his strength and was able to utter one whisper, "Hope…."  
  
* In case you care, Hademon came from Hades, the Ancient Greek name for hell, and the name of the god of the underworld. 


	4. Doubts, fear, but always hope...

1 Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
Part four: Doubts, Fear, but always, hope..  
  
1.1 PG  
  
Matt, Kari and Tk's POV.  
  
Matt's POV.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and… that other place who's name escapes me… for the moment. I do, however, own Hademon and Wraithmon.  
  
***  
  
I looked around as I heard a voice. "Tk..?" I whispered uncertainly. I could have sworn that I'd heard Tk whisper, however faintly, 'hope'. But… but.. that was lunacy. Tk was dead, I finally admitted to myself, wasn't he?  
  
"Tk? B..but… he's..he's.. isn't he?" A voice, wavering and watery said, and after several moments I realized it was Davis. I looked at him. His eyes and cheeks were red and he was shaking. He looked at me, and I couldn't see any of the sometimes arrogant, self- centered boy that sat behind those eyes most of the time. All I saw was fear, sorrow and regret. I wonder what he saw in my eyes? I've always believed that eyes were the windows to the soul. Then why, when I look into the mirror, Into my eyes, is it that all I see is blue?  
  
Tk's POV.  
  
I looked down at the room of people, people that had built my life. Sorrow, sorrow everywhere. And Matt.. brother.. you aren't heartless or soulless as you believe. Kari… she blamed herself. It wasn't your fault, Kari. I would rather die… die? Yes, die, I would rather I died that see her loose her life. Then I realized. I wasn't dead. Sure, I wasn't alive, but I also wasn't dead. It was just… I wasn't needing my body. Not yet. And then, and then I realized something.  
  
"kari…kari….Kari?" I practiced, and, for some reason, instead of trying to talk to her, I spoke to her crest, and I found it wasn't exhausting like trying to speak with sound. And I noticed that when I 'spoke' Kari's crest glowed. I tried Matt. No response. Tai, Davis, Izzy, Cody, Yolei, Ken, Mimi, Sora, Joe… no crests responded save Kari's.  
  
Kari's POV.  
  
"Kari…kari…Kari?" Tk? But how? I must be delusional. I hadn't heard Tk. It hadn't been sound. But wait, my crest was glowing. "Tk?" I said, for reasons unknown, speaking to the air above me. "Kari! You can hear me? I missed you.." A voice – no, thought – that sounded like Tk's said. "Were are you, Tk?" I asked. Matt looked at me, his face seeming eerily haunted and pale.  
  
"Who are you talking to? And why is your crest glowing?" He asked, his voice hollow and sad. "It's.. it's Tk. I think… I think he can communicate through our crests."  
  
In another world, an alternate reality or shadow world, a dark digimon overlord sat on his dark throne, watching through what seemed to be black fog,11 children in a room. One of the children's crests began to glow. Wraithmon cursed. He must destroy light before hope could be restored  
  
NOTE: 'Wraith' means 'Phantom' (more or less) I just decided to call my big baddy 'Wraithmon' instead of 'phantommon' because I think 'Wraithmon' just sounds so much cooler. 


	5. The Return

Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
Part 5: The Return  
  
1.1 PG  
  
1.2 Matt's POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and… that other place who's name escapes me… for the moment. I do, however, own Hademon and Wraithmon.  
  
***  
  
Our crests? I took mine in my hand and looked at it. I no longer wore it, but, lately, I had been keeping it in my pocket. The symbol represented friendship. Several years ago I'd had a little dispute about the existence of that. But I'm really not in the mood to recollect that right now.  
  
If it wasn't such a traumatic time right now, I would probably laugh at the sweet irony of it all. I'd fought more battles than I could count, but I couldn't help my own brother fight some stupid coma?  
  
"Hey, it's glowing again." I looked up. Kari was right. Her crest was glowing, however faintly. After several moments, my crest started to glow too. I heard an infinitely faint voice say to me; 'hold out the crest.' Bemused, I did as I was told, and Kari also did so. Over a period of several minutes, the two beams of light- one blue, one pink – blended together and slowly formed a shape, composed entirely by the mystic light of the crests. I smiled as a weird hat took shape.  
  
Tk had always had a strange affinity towards weird hats.  
  
Everyone stood, gawking like stunned fish, at the shimmering, purple, even ghost –like form of my brother.  
  
"Tk..?" I said, more confused, happy and sad than I'd ever been. Apparantly, everyone else felt the same way, at least marginally.  
  
Tk's POV.  
  
As I stood there, shimmering with purple light, I looked around the room whith generated eyes, my view slightly glazed over with purple, I saw my plan had worked. Although I was exhausted, (not to mention purple,) my idea of setting off Kari and Matt's crests and forcing my…. Err…. Essance? Into the light, in order to form a body, had worked flawlessly. Now, just one more thing to test.. "Hello?" I asked tentatively. Yes! If I hadn't been 1) unsure if I could move in this 'body' and 2) uneasy about the idea of accidentally going 'through' someone, I would have hugged the person nearest to me.  
  
Although I wasn't exactly sure that it was nessasary, I took a deep breath and began to tell the others of my story…  
  
  
  
Wraithmon almost pitied the next creature he was to come across. Damn the children of light and friendship! They'd just made possible the impossible. The child of hope was back. Wraithmon grinned and suppressed an evil laugh.  
  
For now, child of hope, for now…. 


	6. Resolutions

1 Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
Part 6: Resolutions  
  
PG  
  
Kari's POV.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and… that other place who's name escapes me… for the moment. I do, however, own Hademon and Wraithmon.  
  
***  
  
My hands were shaking. Come to think of it, my whole body was shaking. An insane wash of emotions swallowed me, leaving me awash with happiness, hope, sadness, joy, and several other emotions I'm sure haven't been named.  
  
Was he… was he real? Or had I finally lost it? I stood there, listening as Tk told his story. I knew most of it, of course. I was there. But then he got to a part I didn't know. Of feverish dreams, memories, past hopes, and pain. Always pain. Then he described his murderer, and, finally, his death.  
  
Wraithmon was his name. No, I would no forget. Nor will I allow that abomination go unpunished.  
  
No… no-one can get away with killing my Tk….  
  
1.1 Oohh.. change…. Tai's POV  
  
I couldn't… believe it. Tk had died, claimed by a coma; the heart monitor had given us all a harsh revelation of the truth.  
  
And yet… and yet there he was, in a way, standing, a shimmering, purple apparition, speaking.  
  
I looked around the room. Half an hour ago, It had been filled with grief, and grief alone. And now, now it was full of confusion.  
  
I could say that I wasn't afraid, I wasn't scared. That I'd been brave, fearless, strong. But no-one could be like that. That wasn't courage or strength. That was cold, heartless inhumanity. I know it, and you should, too. It's ok to mourn the death of a close friend. It's ok to cry.  
  
But now I didn't know what to do.  
  
What if this was all a cruel, cold trick?  
  
1.2 Davis' POV  
  
My vision was blurred and wavery. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and all was clear once more.  
  
Poor Tk. Poor, poor Tk. I wish I hadn't been so… so… stupid towards him.. I never actually forgot his name. I was just being a jackass.  
  
But maybe, maybe he would be right now. He could talk, and that meant he was back.. right?  
  
(as you may have noticed, I haven't got Davis' person under my thumb yet.)  
  
1.3 Matt's POV  
  
As I listened to Tk's words, I formed a grim resolution in my mind.  
  
Wraithmon would pay. I would rip him to pieces myself if I had to.  
  
The pain Tk had endured… all Wraithmon's fault. He'd stolen my brother from me, made my father cry. I would avenge Tk. I would have my revenge, I decided, as my grief slowly mutated to cold fury, blind rage.  
  
"I'll kill him…" I whispered darkly.  
  
Tk's hologramatic eyes widened. "No.. Matt.. you can't…. he'll kill you…"  
  
"Let's see him try.."  
  
"Matt, it's madness! He's stronger than the mega level. You can't! He's the Shadow Lord!" I looked at him. "'Shadow lord'? Where did that come from?"  
  
"I don't know.. it sort of… popped into my head."  
  
"Well, I'll remember to ask him how it got there before I kill him."  
  
"You're really going to go through with this, aren't you?" "Yes, Tai, I am." I looked at him. I knew were this was going. At least, I thought I did. "And you had better not try and stop me."  
  
"But it's madness!"  
  
"What would you do if Wraithmon had killed Kari? Huh? You wouldn't let me stand in your way. I'm warning you, Tai. Don't get in my way." Tai nodded, understanding. " At least let us help you." My father stepped in here, and his voice sounded strange. "Please, Matt. Don't go by yourself. I don't… I don't want to loose you, too." I looked away. " Come if you want. Just don't get in my way."  
  
I turned and left, heading for the nearest computer capable of opening the Digi-port.  
  
  
  
" So, the child of Friendship whishes to fight?" Wraithmon sneered. He narrowed his eyes to slits and rose from his dark throne. "Let him come." Wraithmon left to send for his dog, the gargantuan, three-headed Cerberus.  
  
  
  
NOTE: I haven't followed the Digimon storyline very religiously, (as you may have noticed) in the fact that 1) The original DD still have their' crests and 2) The original Digivices can open the Digiport. Also, I'm not quite sure weather Matt and Tk are half brothers or not, but in this fic they are, k?  
  
P.S In this fic I am trying not to bash any of the characters, and am TRYING to bring out the best in each of them. (With an un- biased opinion.) I will, however, make Matt look considerably better than Tai, as he is my fave chara, and it fits the storyline, anywayz. If it fitted the storyline I would make Tai look better than Matt, but there's a snowflake's chance in hell of me writing a fic that even SUGGESTED that Tai may be better than Matt, so I regress.  
  
Ooh, I almost forgot. Cerberus was Hades' dog in Ancient Greek Mythology, and as I've already used him (Hademon) I figured I may as well include his un-faithful (and most likely rabid) pet dog. Although I've made him Wraithmon's instead.  
  
Oh, and, incidentally, I'm not intentionally copying anyone with any of my invented evil charas. 


	7. Relevation

Death Alone Cannot Part Us  
  
Part 7: Revelation  
  
PG 13+  
  
Kari's POV.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters. It belongs to those people at fox kids and. that other place who's name escapes me. for the moment. I do, however, own Hademon and Wraithmon.  
  
A/N: To all my highly valued readers: I PROFUSELEY appologise for the total lack of updates over the past month. I am FORCING myself to type it all up now, thankyou for waiting. And now, because I feel SO much GUILT, a special thanks section, and a dedication, *clears throat* Special thanks go to: Smartguy912, Edmund, linker, Kali Kamiya, nasico, TK lover 1997, DawnRising, Jake Solo 5007, Shadowyukino, Alantie, tigerlily, cristi (lil_orca) and Takerus Lost Angel. Luv and hugs to all - this chap is for you guys ^_^ Luv peace and flying Llamas, Elfeä ---  
  
Kari's POV  
  
As Matt turned and left the room, I ran out in front of him to stop him. He sighed. "Kari, get out of my way. My mind's made up. And you can't change that." I'm pretty sure what I said next wasn't what anyone expected, even, marginally, me. "I'm not trying to stop you. I'm just not letting you go without me." I looked up at him, my eyes fierce. "I want a piece of that bastard too." "Kari!" Tai sounded shocked. I ignored him. "I'm really touched that you two. cared. so much for me. But do you really think it necessary to get yourselves KILLED?" I looked up at the shimmering aura that was TK. "We've done this before. Remember?" "Yeah," Matt stepped in, "Myotismon, Venom Myotismon, Metal Seadramon, Puppetmon, Machinedramon, Peidmon, Apocalymon and Malomoyotismon. We've kicked bigger butts than this one before." He muttered darkly. "Actually, you haven't." A dark voice boomed defiantly. "Who said that?" I whispered to no - one in particular. "Show yourself!" Matt yelled, his voice cracking slightly from fatigue, grief, and stress in his ire. "Fine. But I know you won't like what you see." The same voice retorted.  
  
Upon finishing the sentence, a pitch-black fog filled the room, and I mean pitch black. Then, a smell. The smell of rotting and burning flesh. The mist gathered up, and formed a silhouette. Then two bloodstained ruby-red eyes gleamed through the darkness. Then, a creature stepped through the shadow. A creature so hideously deformed that it churned the stomach. It had a face that had clearly once been beautiful, but now was marred into grotesque deformity. It had obviously been burnt, or melted, and the flesh, long since dead, had started to rot, leaving patches where bone showed through. It's body was much the same, though instead of burns from fire or acid, the skin was dry, and pulled tight as a drum skin. On the odd occasion, bone broke through the skin, showing whitely through the burnt and withered, leather - like skin. He was humanoid, but with a pair of monstrous bat wings sprouting from his shoulders and similar smaller ones from his temples, and a ridge of bony horns sprouting along the vertebrae of his spine. The stench was overpowering. Rotting flesh seems to come with that. "I," said the creature, " a, Hademon, and this is my accursed true form. I, too, once rose up against the Dark Lord Wraithmon. And then, I was a fair creature to behold. But now, here am I, cursed for eternity to live on the edge of the valley of death, forever surrounded by the death and decay of my own body, for I was to live indefinitely."  
  
Suddenly, and despite myself, I was awash with pity. It was one thing to grow old and die naturally, but imagine to reach the dying age, whereupon ever after your body decays around you, and to know you were to suffer that pain for all eternity?  
  
"Then. you are. on our side?" Matt queried, almost reeling from the stench. "No, I am but giving you a warning. I dare not face Wraithmon's wrath again. Use me as your lesson, for my pain, this pain, is naught to what Wraithmon will do to you if you loose - he has hated you, Digidestined child, with more ferocity than the fire of a thousand suns for longer than our two worlds have been limbo." "I'm not afraid. You're a Digimon, so you wouldn't know the pain of loosing a brother. I'm still going to kill Wraithmon." Hademon sighed. "Why must you be so stubborn? Cannot you see the pain I endure? Cannot you see that to face Wraithmon's might is to. to. is to." Hademon raised a skeletal hand to his forehead. "I'm so bad with metaphors." "Look," I said, "I'm really sorry that you weren't tough enough to tackle Wraithmon. But I believe WE are."  
  
"Yeah. I mean, he only managed to kill me." Everyone stared at Tk, uncomprehending. "It doesn't really hurt that much. I mean, I'm not exactly experiencing eternal undeadness, huh?" "Oh." Hademon shook his head. "The blast was meant for the Child of Light." It would have done far worse to her." I trembled as I remembered the blast that TK had saved me from. Hademon turned to me. "What did the blast look like?" His voice was strangely gentle. "Darkness." I replied, shuddering. "See? If the blast had been meant for the Child of Hope, it would have been a blast of the opposite of Hope: Despair. Courage: Cowardice. Friendship: Animosity. Kindness: Cruelty. Sincerity: Deceit. Love: Hate. Knowledge: Stupidity. Reliability: Deviousness. The opposite of your Crests is what you must fear most. For they will destroy you." "But will you help us?" Hademon looked away. "I would, were it not for." "For?" I urged. Hademon looked up. "Fear. I am afraid." He said simply. Matt laughed. "That's all that's holding you back? After what Wraithmon did to you, don't you want revenge? Look at Tk. He's." Here, Matt trailed off, tears in his eyes. He wiped them away defiantly. "Anyway. nothing you can say can change my mind. I'll be more wary, perhaps, but I'm still going to pay Wraithmon back." "Me too." I said, backing Matt up.  
  
Hademon made a face of what must have been meant to be astonishment. "You still want to fight? Then. I will help you." Upon the finishing of that sentence a horrid voice boomed. "Treachery! How dare you betray me, Slave!" A strange and unseen force pinned Hademon to the ground, and he began to writhe in torture. "You yield, slave?" That same terrible voice whispered. "Never!" Was the reply. "Fine then." Hademon screamed, in an agony unknown to those of mortal heritage. "You yield?" "NEVER!"  
  
Then, we were in the hospital no longer. We were in a dark realm only slightly different to the Digiworld.  
  
  
  
I have you in my claws now, little ones. As for you, slave, lowly, fetid being, you will pay dearly for this defiance. This game will prove most enjoyable, I think.  
  
A/N: So, what do you think? As ever, reviews are eternally appreciated. And since I'm going through a phase of little homework, the next chap will be up in a few days - possibly by Saturday, or earlier, a week at most. So how did you all like this chap? I changed the style as minimally as I could tolerate - I wrote this so long ago, some things just stick out like a Llama in a High school uniform. But fear not! I promise I'll finish this fic, though it may not get all that long. hm. We'll have to see how long it takes for this storyline to burn itself out. Wee! I'm getting new strings for my guitar soon! Yay. Oh, and just on a musical note : If you like Silverchair (May they live FOREVER), alternative rock, rock , Aussie music (well. Tripple-J broadcast kinda) BUY NEON BALLROOM, and buy it now. I got it almost a week ago, and it is the best cd I've EVER bought. ^_^ Luv peace and flying llamas, Elfeä (The 'Chair appreciator) 


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